YKP: Framework Deal Should Implement Agreed Measures
The New Cyprus Party (YKP) has welcomed the European Commission's appointment of Raffaele Fitto as the EU's Special Representative for Cyprus, describing it as a positive step to fill a long-standing institutional gap. However, the party stressed that the appointment alone would not resolve the Cyprus issue, arguing that its significance would depend on whether it is backed by the political will to resume negotiations.
In a written statement, YKP said Fitto's role would only be meaningful if it contributed concretely to restarting talks from where they left off at the 2017 Crans-Montana conference, on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, a single sovereignty and a single citizenship.
The party argued that one of the main obstacles to a settlement has been the long-standing insistence that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed," saying this approach has repeatedly prolonged the status quo and undermined previous opportunities for progress, including the Annan Plan despite its shortcomings.
YKP said it supports a framework agreement under which issues already agreed by the two sides could be implemented immediately while negotiations continue on outstanding matters. It argued that several areas, including the judiciary, temporary institutional arrangements and aspects of property, already contain sufficient common ground to allow practical implementation without waiting for a comprehensive settlement.
The party also said the proposed informal expanded 5+1 meeting should be used to advance this incremental approach rather than return to negotiations that produce discussions without implementation.
According to YKP, the same political will that caused the collapse of the 2017 Crans-Montana talks continues to delay the resumption of negotiations today. It accused Turkey of seeking to preserve its military presence, guarantor rights and political influence in northern Cyprus, while calling once again for the abolition of the guarantor system, the complete demilitarisation of the island and the end of what it described as a system of political tutelage in the north.
YKP also called for confidence-building measures to accompany any renewed negotiations, including the opening of additional crossing points, the removal of bureaucratic obstacles at existing crossings, greater bicommunal cooperation in telecommunications and electricity interconnection, implementation of the EU's Direct Trade Regulation, and multilingual road signage across the island.
The party concluded that lasting peace could only be achieved through a bizonal, bicommunal federal settlement based on political equality, single sovereignty and single citizenship. It urged the sides to abandon the "all or nothing" negotiating approach and instead implement already agreed measures immediately through a framework agreement while addressing remaining issues under a new roadmap.
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